Friend of Nursing Award Winner – Kelley Van Weelde, HUC on 4 Lacks

April 4, 2016 5:16 pm

Kelley Van Weelde (on right) with patient (second from right) and her family during the Friend of Nursing Ceremony.

On March 29, 2016, the Work Environment Council proudly offered the Friend of Nursing Award to Kelley van Weelde, a HUC on 4 Lacks. Van Weelde had received two nominations, one from a patient and one from a colleague.

While the award was a surprise to Van Weelde, even more surprising to Van Weelde was that the patient who nominated her, Jamie Hotchkiss, attended the award presentation with her son Chris and fiancé Steve as a way to say thanks. Hotchkiss even brought Van Weelde flowers to congratulate her.

“She knew I was cold, so she went down to the gift shop and bought me a robe,” said Hotchkiss of Van Weelde during the ceremony. “The robe was pink and fluffy. I was styling!”

The skill and compassionate care exemplified by Kelley to our patients, their families, and our staff recognize them as an outstanding role model. Thus the Work Environment Council is proud to offer this month’s Friend of Nursing Award to Van Weelde.

The two nominations read:
“An amazing example is when 4 Lacks cared for a patient, Jamie, who was suffering from cancer, and she needed to be hospitalized for a long time. Kelley and Jamie hit it off and became “friends” – as best a description as one could professionally describe. One of Jamie’s treatment goals was to walk in the hallways to keep up her strength. Jamie mentioned from time to time that she often felt cold. As winter progressed, the hallways became a little bit colder and colder – and one could only imagine how the cancer journey makes one feel cold and isolated. Kelley, wanting her patient to be wrapped up in warmth, love and support — went to the Lacks Coffee Shoppe to buy Jamie a warm, fuzzy robe. This warm, fuzzy robe not only kept Jamie physically warm, but it also provided Jamie with a sense of love and support. Feeling loved and supported along the cancer journey is just as much important as the physical treatments.

The other nomination reads:
Kelley is a HUC on 4 Lacks. Many times she is the first face families and patients see when they come to our unit. She greets them professionally, with a smile and a demeanor that says “I care.” She expertly manages a very busy front desk by keeping the staff informed and updated, helping the charge nurse to organize and run the day. She quickly and efficiently helps case management with chart copies and faxing. I am also impressed with how Kelley serves on committees and is dedicated to serving our patients with ‘something more’.

One specific example was on a weekend shift, in order to discharge a patient, the health care team needed a specific form. The on-call case manager was not able to help her. On a busy weekend shift, Kelley went above and beyond her call of duty to help find this form that was needed in order to discharge a patient.”